


Mementos

by thedoanzone



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 08:17:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13947513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedoanzone/pseuds/thedoanzone
Summary: After their old freshman dorm building got torn down, Belle was out drinking and was convinced by her friends that it would be a great idea to sneak onto the construction site and steal a brick as a souvenir of all the good times they had. It's all fun and games until they get caught by the most hated professor on campus. Luckily for them though, it's Belle's favorite professor.





	Mementos

**Author's Note:**

> After sitting in my docs for like two months, I finally got around to finish writing it at like 3am, so there might be some mistakes bc I didn't feel like going through it one more time to check. Oh well.
> 
> Also I might or might not've started this fic after a fun night downtown, but unfortunately, it didn't end the same way for me (although I wish it did with one specific prof of mine bc unf)

It was a good idea, a fantastic idea, fueled by that senior year recklessness and a lot of alcohol. Taking a little keepsake from the demolished dorm building where all the friendships and good memories began seemed easy enough, or so Belle thought. Now though, at the wrong end of a flashlight that belonged to someone who definitely wasn’t another student, she was starting to rethink her decision. 

It had started out as a normal night downtown with Ruby, and Belle was three shots and a couple of drinks in when they ran into Will Scarlett and his group of buddies. After a couple rounds of pool, Will mentioned how other students were hopping the fence to the construction site where an old dorm had been torn down and taking a brick from the debris that was still there. 

That dorm was where Belle and Ruby had met freshman year as random roommates but quickly became best friends for the next four years. Hearing that the university was tearing it down was heartbreaking, even if it was going to be rebuilt as a better living area. Incoming freshman wouldn’t have to deal with the thin, drafty walls, the worn down carpet that felt like hardwood flooring, and the creaky, old bed frames that have probably been there since the place was built.

When Will introduced the idea, Ruby’s ears perked up, and she grabbed Belle by the arm to drag her away from the table.

“Ruby, it’s my shot,” Belle rolled her eyes. “We’re about to win, can’t this wait?”

“Will said he’s going to go take a brick from the old dorm building,” she wrapped an arm around Belle’s shoulders. “When was the last time we did something fun like that? You’ve always been the good student, let’s go do something rebellious for once.”

She did have a good point. Belle had worked hard and made the grades, which meant she hadn’t really done anything fun the past few years. College is supposed to be some of the best years of your life, and so far, Belle didn’t think they were that spectacular. She barely went to parties, didn’t do drugs, and only occasionally went on spontaneous road trips that were mostly Ruby’s ideas and took a lot of cajoling to go on.

It was the last semester of her college undergrad years, so why not?

As soon as Belle agreed, the group of friends made the short walk to the site where the old building lay. It was a little cold out, but the alcohol still warmed her body, and since they would technically be trespassing, the excitement of doing something illegal made her somewhat giddy.

No one seemed to be around, so they precariously climbed the fence, most of the guys just rolling onto the ground after landing. The few who had steady feet reached up and helped the girls down. Once they were all successfully over the fence, they began running through the mud, searching for any remaining bricks while laughing and trying not to lose their footing over the small heaps of broken cement.

Maybe if they had been a little more observant, they would’ve seen the small light on the other side of the rubble.

“Who’s there?” The voice cut through the laughter, and the flashlight flicking back and forth to find the culprits.

Everyone started running for the fence, but the light flashed in Belle’s eyes, and she slipped from the top of a mound of mud and clay and landed on her ass directly in front of the person.

Fuck, Belle thought, I should’ve known we’d get caught, this was a bad, bad idea. 

She gave a guilty half-smile and waved the brick she still held in her hand.

“Miss French?”

The light fell away, and Belle immediately noticed the details of his face, the long hair that fell to his shoulders, and the cane being held in his left hand. It was Dr. Gold, the professor Belle had a crush on since her first English class with him freshman year.

A mostly drunk part of her was relieved and a little more excited than necessary it was him, but the other part, the more rational part, was nervous that he would turn her in or report her.

“Dr. Gold?” He held out a hand, and she graciously took it and straightened herself out the best she could. The alcohol was making it hard to think with her head still a little fuzzy and her balance still a little wobbly. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” he chuckled and gestured to the brick in her hand, shaking his head. “But it seems we’re here for the same thing.”

She looked from him to her hand with a confused look on her face. “Wait, what?”  
“Like you and your friends, who have abandoned you by the way,” he gestured to the fence where the last person had jumped down to the other side. “I’m here for a brick.”

“But… why?” She knew he had money and a long standing relationship with the university. If he wanted a brick, it would probably be handed to him clean of any dirt with a ribbon wrapped around it. “Can’t you just get one by asking?”

He looked to the ground, switched the flashlight to his other hand holding the cane, and bent down to pick up a block. “It’s for my son actually. Neal thought it would be more ‘authentic’ if it came directly from the rubble.”

Belle understood then. In the past, she would come in during office hours to talk about her papers, but they would always end up talking about everything else until another student showed or his hours ended. Neal was somehow a topic that often came up, and she loved the warmth in Dr. Gold’s eyes when he spoke of his son. She found out that Neal was two years older than she was, living in New York City with his police officer girlfriend, and had a baby boy named Henry. He had graduated from this very college, and coincidentally also lived in that building, so of course he would want a souvenir. 

“He asked you to get one for him?” 

The corner of Dr. Gold’s mouth quirked up as he started brushing off loose mud from brick. He hated to admit it, but he would do anything his boy asked him, even if it were as silly as stealing a leftover piece of cement from an old building.

“He couldn’t come here himself, what with work and Henry, so here I am.”

“That’s so sweet of you to go out of your way for him. You’re a really good father.” Belle stepped forward and grabbed his arm, leaning towards him mostly to gain her balance again but also to convey how sincere she was.

Seeing how much he still cared for his grown, adult son, Belle’s heart couldn’t help but fill with warmth towards the older man. It also didn’t help the fact that her attraction towards him grew even more once she realized how sweet and thoughtful he was. She always ignored her feelings and brushed them off as a temporary infatuation. Dr. Gold was distinguished, articulate, and incredibly handsome in an unconventional way with an accent that could make any girl swoon. She couldn’t have been the first student, male or female, to find him attractive, so it was natural to feel like this at first. Besides, he had to be in his forties, and he even had a son that was older than she was. He would never be attracted to a fresh-faced, new college graduate. 

Then, she would remember all those days spent in his office arguing over classic literature and exchanging tales of their home countries. He talked to her with respect, like she was his equal, instead of just another undergrad student looking to fight for a better grade just so they can pass the class. Those were the moments she treasured the most that fed into her crush, and they were what spurred her alcohol-addled mind on to think a some flirting couldn’t hurt and maybe hope that he might reciprocate, even just a little. 

Glancing up into his eyes, Belle noticed that their faces were closer than she expected, and she could see every detail of his eyes. She also noticed she could feel every exhale of his fanning out on her face, and if she just leaned up a tiny bit, she could brush her lips against his.

Before she could make up her mind, he pulled back just enough so that he could still support her leaning weight but have a breathable distance between their faces.

“Miss French, are you drunk?” He asked, having smelled the liquor on her breath.

She started giggling, but it turned into full laughter and had her hiding her face in his shoulder to muffle the noise. A tiny part of her mind still reminded her that they aren’t supposed to be here and didn’t want to get caught.

When she got herself under control, she lifted her head and grinned. “Maybe just a little, it’s a little more fun this way, huh?”

Dr. Gold shook his head with a small smile on his face. Who knew that his star student liked to get drunk and commit thievery? “Come on, let’s get you back to your friends.”

“You should join us!” Belle cried, the grin still plastered on her face as if she came up with the best idea in the world. “I’m technically not your student anymore, so it’s not against the rules, right?”

“Maybe not, but I don’t think I’ll be a welcome guest,” he gently pushed her towards the fence, guiding her with his hand on her lower back. “I’m sure many of my students would love to accidentally spill a drink on me if they saw me out.”

“I guess,” she started to pout but allowed herself be led to the exit. “It’s a shame they didn’t like you as much as I did. Actually, I’m glad they didn’t like you as much as me. It would’ve been harder to stand out and make sure you noticed me.” She tried to wink at him couldn’t really control her other eye, so she ended up slowly blinking one eye after another.

“A well-read student with brown hair, beautiful blue eyes, an accent you wouldn’t soon forget who actually understood the readings? Even if you didn’t come into my office trying to convince me which Jane Austen novel was best, you would’ve been hard to ignore.”

Belle was wearing a bright red blush and a silly grin as they reached the metal gate, but a look of confusion swept across her face as she realized he could hardly scale a fence with a cane. 

“How are we getting over? Can you climb? Wait, how did you even get in here in the first place then?”

“Not to worry,” he said and pulled a key out of his pocket with a flourish and a wink. “You have your assortment of stolen objects, and I have mine.”

He unlocked the gate and pushed it open with a bow, gesturing for her to step through. “After you.”

Belle attempted a curtsey as best she could which ended up a little wobbly, but she managed to stay on her feet.

Just as he was about to lock the gate behind him, he heard a voice call out for Belle. Ruby was running down the street waving her hand with a handful of guys behind her.

“Belle!” She cried, panting once she reached them. “I was so worried, when I realized you weren’t following behind us, I ran back as fast as I could.”

“It’s okay,” Belle patted Dr. Gold’s arm. “It was just Dr. Gold here that found us, he won’t rat us out.”

Ruby looked skeptical at first, but then shrugged and started grinning strangely at him. “Just you and Dr. Gold, huh?”

“Yup,” Belle patted his arm. “He took good care of me.”

“Oh I’m sure he did,” Ruby nudged her with her elbow, almost causing Belle to topple over. 

She leaned towards Gold looking as if she had a big secret to tell, so he tilted his head to hear her, but he soon found out he didn’t need to. 

“Did you know Belle has had the biggest crush on you since freshman year?” She loudly whispered, obviously trying not to hide her voice at all.

“Ruby!” Belle screamed, her face turning red. “Shut up, let’s just go!”

She grabbed her taller friend by the sleeve and started dragging her away, leaving Gold there with a sheepish look on his face.

So the beautiful, young woman with the world at her hands had a crush on him? A crippled, old, father whose son was older than she was? It was too good to be true. He must’ve slipped and hit his head in the mud.

He was about to lock the gate when he heard footsteps running towards him. He turned in time to get a faceful of floral-scented brown hair and an armful of Belle.

“Thanks for making not report us.” She said and grabbed his face with both hands and pushed her lips against his.

Before he could react, she was already gone and sprinting down the street back to her friends.

Gold lifted his fingers to his lips in shock, then saw a flash of blue lights on the other side of the construction area. He quickly pushed the key into the lock, but hesitated and stared at the ground through the wire. 

In a moment of impulsiveness, he wrenched the gate open, shuffled in, grabbed another brick off the ground, then turned and walked as fast as he could to his car.

Turns out, this area has some fond memories for him, too.


End file.
